Carrier for braiding and like machines



July 10, 1 'B. CARTER ETAL CARRIER FOR BRAIDING AND LIKE MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 194a 3115? 91 8. CARTER ET AL ,084

CARRIER FOR BRAIDING AND LIKE MACHINES Filed May 5, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 10, 1951 master CARRIER FOR BRAIDING AND LIKE MACHINES Ben Carter and Eric Carter, Bolton, England Application May 5, 1948, Serial No. 25,275

In Great Britain May 23, 1947 4 Claims.

This invention relates to carriers for braiding machines and the like, which carriers comprise a base portion slidable in a horn-gear or equivalent driving mechanism, an upstanding rotatable holder (usually removable) for a cop, bob bin or spool of thread, wire or the like (hereinafter referred to as thread), one or more fixed guides for the thread, and a movable guide yieldable against sprin pressure, the latter guide acting as a compensating mechanism to relieve sudden increases of tension and to take up sudden decreases of tension.

The main objects of the present invention are to provide carriers which, with little or no increase of weight, or even with a reduction in weight, are capable of carrying much larger cops or bobbins of thread than those known hitherto, and of giving a more constant tension in the thread whatever the position of the compensating drive. A further object is to provide means for relieving the rotatable cop holder from.

the frictional braking resistance completely in the case of an excessive increase of tension, so as to reduce the number of breakages in the thread and to reduce the tendency for the thread to fluff owing to excessive friction in the guides. Also the invention allows of the use of yarns with a much lower tensile strength without it bein necessary to reduce the speed of production, and allows of the machines being run at a much higher speed, and with less noise.

According to the invention the improved carrier is characterised in that the movable guide which constitutes the compensating member is spring loaded so as to impart tension to the thread, and means is provided to vary the load,

without dismantling the carrier, to vary the ten- 1 sion according to the nature and purpose of the the pressure of the spring will be less, and for.

stronger yarns will be greater.

Usually the spring will be a leaf spring having a coil at one end secured to a spindle around which it is coiled, and which is rotatable by adjustment means such as a worm and worm wheel to wind and unwind the coil and thereb vary the pressure exerted by the other end of the spring on the compensating device. The compensator is preferably a pivoted lever, having the thread guide at one end and engaging the spring at the other end.

According to another feature of the invention, a friction drag device is provided to give resistance to the rotation of the cop holder, and the said compensating device is arranged to cooperate therewith to reduce the frictional dra as such lever is moved about its pivot due to an increase of tension in the thread, and to increase the frictional drag again as the lever moves in the opposite direction when the tension is reduced, the friction drag device preferably being entirely free from the cop holder (so as to efiect no drag at all) when the increased tension is such as to bring the compensating lever to its extreme position.

In practical embodiments of the invention the cop holder has a rim or flange engaged by a half-circular brake shoe within it and the compensating lever has a projecting part which engages the brake shoe to move it out of and into engagement with the cop holder.

The engaging parts of the compensator, spring and brake member are so shaped as to form between them cavities for grease, and are such that as the parts move relatively to each other the cavities open and close so as to spread the grease and have a self-lubricating efiect.

The invention may incorporate the cop-holding device set forth in our earlier United States application No. 654,408 on the removable cop holder, now issued as Patent No. 2,464,024, on March 9, 1949.

An example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the carrienfrom one side, with a cop in position (diagrammatically) on. the cop holder;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, from the opposite side.

but with the cop removed;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the carrier; and Fig. 4 is a plan, projected from Fig. 1, but with the cop and cop-holder removed. r

As shown, there is a base part I formed of hardened steel, this comprising the usual H-sectioned slotted member 2 to slide in the horngear mechanism (not shown) and having two upstanding webs 3 thereon, connected at their upper ends by a horizontal part A, to which is secured an upright post '5 to carry the rotatable cop holder 6. The parts 2, 3, and 4 are fabricated from steel plate so as to be as light as possible, consistent with strength.

Mounted transversely in such webs 3, is a spindle I, to one end of which is secured the compensating lever 8, this lever being of pressed steel, formed from a fiat blank and having one end 8a turned at right angles to lie across the said webs 3, whilst its other end 9b is formed as an eye or loop for the thread, and rests on the base when not subject to yarn tension, such base forming a stop to limit movement imparted to the lever by the spring.

Also mounted in the said webs 3 is a further but shorter spindle 9, to which is secured the innermost coil of the coiled end [a of a leaf spring 10, the other end [01) of the spring extending tangentially to the outer coil'at lila and passing between the webs 3, its extremity bearing against the said inturned part 8a of the compensating lever B. such shorter spindle 9 meshes with a worm 12 on the lower end of a vertical spindle l3, such worm having a knurled or milled flange I2a for finger operation, and the said vertical spindle 13 extends upwardly alongside the cop holder to carry guides or eyes IQ, l5, for the thread.

The base 6a of the rotatable, removable cop holder 6 is circular, having a peripheral depending flange within which is a horse-shoe shaped brake block [6 lined with felt I! or the like, this block being pivotally mounted by one of its ends Him to the fixed plate 4 carried b the said webs 3. On the other end of the brake member H is a depending stud l8, which is engaged by a V-sec tioned eccentric portion of the first-named spindle 1, so that, as the compensating lever 8 is lifted and rotates the spindle 1, said eccentric portion bears against the stud E3 to move the brake member I! away from the flange. The eccentric portion may be integral with the spindle I, or may be adjustably mounted thereon so as to take up wear. Also, whilst a single brake A worm wheel ll secured to shoe is shown, a double expanding brake may be I employed.

The co-holder shown is of substantially the same form as that described in our said Patent No. 2,464,024.

The various guides 8b, 14 and I5 are chromium plated or similarly treated to reduce the tendency of the yarn-to flufi.

In use, with the parts at rest and the thread slack, the brake I! exerts its maximum pressure on the cop holder 6, and the compensating lever B has its loop 8?) in the lowermost position. As

tension in the thread increases, the lever 8 is cop, a pivoted guide for such material, a coiled spring having one end bearing on the pivoted guide to move it in a direction opposite to the direction of pull of the material, a spindle mounted in the said base part, the opposite end of said spring being secured to said spindle, a worm wheel on such spindle, a worm in engagement with said worm wheel, and a finger-operated rotati'ble member to effect rotation of that worm wheel and thereby wind or unwind the spring.

2. A carrier for a braiding machine according to claim 1 wherein the pivoted guide is a lever, with its pivot nearer to one end, that end bearing on the said spring and the other end being shaped to form the guide, stop means being provided on the said base portion to limit the movement imparted to the lever by the spring.

3. A carrier for a braiding machine, according to claim 1, a pivoted brake shoe normally in engagement with the rotary cop holder, a lateral projection on such brake shoe, and an eccentric portion rotatable with the pivoted guide so that movements of the guide under the influence of tension in the material cause the cam to reduce the braking efiect, whereas movements of the guide due to the spring cause the cam to increase the braking elfect.

4. A carrier for a braiding machine comprising a base having flanges and a stud to be supported in and driven by the usual horngear of the machine, having parallel vertical Webs and a platform supported thereby; a vertical non-rotary post standing up from said platform and a rotary cop-holder on such post, said cop-holder having a circular base with depending flange on its rim; a spring-urged brake shoe mounted on the said platform so as to lie within and bear against said flange; said platform having a slot therein; a depending part on said brake shoe extending through said slot; fixed guides to receive and guide the material drawn off a cop on the copholder; a lever fixed on a pivot mounted in said parallel verticalwebs, one end of such lever being shaped as a guide for said material; an eccentric portion fixed on the pivot of such lever and bearing against said depending part on the brake shoe, a spindle journalled in said vertical webs, a coil spring having its inner end fixed to said spindle and having its other end bearing against said pivoted lever; and worm and Warm wheel mechanism for rotating the spindle of the spring to vary the pressure of the spring end on said lever.

BEN CARTER. ERIC CARTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 981,958 Wardwell Jan. 17, 1911 1,058,206 Traxel Apr. 8, 1913 1,631,634 Hopkins June 7, 1927 1,997,473 Staub Apr. 9, 1935 2,167,930 Krissiep Aug. 1, 1939 

